Ohio Rights Group Wants Medical Marijuana Legalized in Ohio

By
Jessica James, The Morning Journal
on March 18, 2013

Ohio voters could see an Ohio constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would legalize medical marijuana and create 1,000,000 new jobs statewide, said Ohio Rights Group President John Pardee.

The Ohio Cannabis Rights Amendment, to allow legal use of medical marijuana and permission to grow industrial hemp, was launched this weekend in Lorain County.

On Saturday, Pardee and his wife, Linda, of Amherst, headed an event in Oberlin launching a drive to collect the 1,000 signatures required to obtain the approval of Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine for a full statewide petition.

Once approved by the attorney general, the group will need to collect 385,000 signatures of registered voters to put the amendment on the state ballot.

“We are for medical marijuana for qualifying residents and veterans in need, but we’re also incorporating the permission for farmers to grow industrial hemp,” Pardee said. “There are very low levels of THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive drug compound in marijuana, in hemp. But because it’s a part of the cannabis genus, it is also prohibited.”